Exploring Mayan ruins and exotic beaches on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula

It’s all go in Mexico: With no testing and few restrictions, bookings are booming – and there’s no better place to explore Mayan ruins, tropical beaches and exotic marine life than the Yucatan Peninsula

• Thomas W Hodgkinson checks in to the Tui Blue El Dorado Seaside Suites and finds it a ‘friendly sort of place’
• With the help of a guide, he wades through the Rio Secreto, a ‘dazzling’ network of caves and waterways 
• The biggest thrill of the trip is the moment he spots a crocodile during a visit to the Sian Ka’an nature reserve 

Some 100ft underground, waist-deep in water and enclosed in a cavernous chamber whose stalactites make it resemble a cathedral, I’m concerned. Then the lights go out.

Where on Earth am I? The answer is the alluringly named Rio Secreto, a network of caves and waterways that stretches beneath the surface of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. I can’t see my own hand. On our guide’s instruction, my companions and I have switched off our head torches. The darkness is so complete it’s scary.

However, all these concerns vanish as soon as we reach the first cavern. It’s dazzling. The ceiling of limestone resembles melting wax. The stone is, in fact, dissolving. It’s just that the process takes centuries.

Historic: Foremost among the Yucatan Peninsula’s attractions is the ‘the mighty Mayan archaeological site of Tulum’, according to Thomas. Pictured is the region’s Temple of the Wind God

Thomas explores the Rio Secreto, a network of caves and waterways that stretches beneath the surface of the Yucatan Peninsula

In some cases, where the droplets land on dry rock, they form stalagmites. These rise until an upward-pointing growth meets a downward-pointing one, and together they create a kind of Doric column. Some chambers look as if they might be temples, built by some ancient subterranean race.

It’s one more reason why I’m thrilled by my uncanny surroundings — I’m in the process of writing a novel about a man who lives for years underground. When we re-emerge into the light after 90 minutes, we grin at each other foolishly.

Admittedly, these shenanigans might not appeal to all visitors to this part of Mexico. But the Yucatan Peninsula has many more attractions — foremost among them the mighty Mayan archaeological site of Tulum, which is a short drive from where I’m staying at the Tui Blue El Dorado Seaside Suites.

The coastal town of Tulum has become a haven for sun-seeking celebrities, Instagram influencers and wealthy hipsters. Yet its archaeological site retains its appeal.

Before I even enter it, I spot a 100ft pole, on which perch four colourfully dressed Mexicans known as Los Voladores de Papantla. They blow on their pipes and bang their drums. Then they tip backwards off the pole, which twirls them round. They’re suspended on ropes like bungee jumpers. It’s all an elaborate rain dance.

‘Some chambers look as if they might be temples, built by some ancient subterranean race,’ says Thomas of the Rio Secreto  

On the left, Los Voladores de Papantla perform a dance on a pole while ‘suspended on ropes like bungee jumpers’. Pictured on the right are two locals in the region’s colourful, traditional dress (stock photos) 

The site itself consists of stony ruins on a clifftop overlooking the Atlantic. There’s something noticeable about the outer walls. There are large holes in the grey bricks.

This was done to encourage stingless Melipona bees to build their nests there. Their honey is used as a treatment for conditions from indigestion to acne.

One of the grandest Tulum buildings is the Temple of the Diving God. It is fronted by an extraordinary bas-relief carving of the deity, who is presented mid-dive. When I glance over the edge of the cliffs and see the sandy beaches below, I’m tempted to follow his example.

For my own diving, though, I have to wait until the next day, when I embark on a Tui Collection experience, organised through my hotel: a visit to the nature reserve of Sian Ka’an further south, complete with a swim and a snorkel.

‘The coastal town of Tulum has become a haven for sun-seeking celebrities, Instagram influencers and wealthy hipsters,’ writes Thomas. Pictured is the town’s main street 

We jolt for an hour along a painfully bumpy road, then take to speedboats and zoom through the lagoon along corridors of mangroves. Out in the Atlantic, we spot dolphins and a sea turtle. The turtle starts out ghostlike under the water, until its tiny head pops out. It takes one brief look at us and then disappears.

The biggest thrill awaits. In the stagnant water under a low wooden pier lies a crocodile lazily minding its own affairs. Disturbingly, he’s about as big as our speedboat. Was it my imagination, or did he seem pleased to learn that Mexico is open for visitors again?

Business is brisk judging by the number of guests at the El Dorado Seaside Suites. When I totter to the beach at 7am to see the sunrise, the sand is dotted with luxurious four-poster beds. Most have been bagged with a rolled-up towel. A pelican on a pole eyes me sardonically.

Thomas arranges to go for ‘a swim and a snorkel’ in the nature reserve of Sian Ka’an, pictured above

TRAVEL FACTS 

Seven nights at Tui Blue El Dorado Seaside Suites in Riviera Maya from £1,209pp all-inclusive in a junior suite with Gatwick flights on May 20 and transfers (tui.co.uk). Fully vaccinated visitors do not need to take a test before travelling. Check entry requirements at gov.uk. For more details, see visitmexico.com.

The water is warm and calm, if a little shallow, along this perfect stretch of beach. A manmade spit protects swimmers against breakers rolling in from the Atlantic.

The El Dorado, among a host of big hotels along this coastline, is a friendly sort of place. ‘Welcome home!’ the staff declare when we arrive after our 11-hour flight. Wherever you walk, a staff member in a golf buggy will call ‘Hola’ as they pass. There are restaurants and bars galore, as well as a blissful spa.

They are not taking any chances with Covid. On arrival at the breakfast buffet, I am asked to put a single plastic glove over the hand with which I plan to wield utensils.

The Yucatan Peninsula is an unforgettable destination. That said, it has had problems recently. A few months ago, two tourists were killed in Tulum in a shoot-out involving members of a drug cartel. There have been further shootings since.

Yet it hasn’t prevented visitors from coming. On my trip to the caves I meet Derek Fedo, an impeccably well-mannered fitness influencer from Atlanta in the U.S. with 38,000 followers on Instagram. It is the first time he and his girlfriend, Jacki Frye (21,000 followers), have visited the region and they’re loving it. It offers fantastic opportunities to grab shots for their Insta feeds.

It’s the same story when I speak to others at the El Dorado. ‘Amazing food!’ says one. ‘Incredible beaches!’ chimes another. Everyone is having a blast. Are they planning on coming back? In a while, crocodile. 

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